Contact: Bonnie Merrill Limbach
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI STUDY SHOWS PLASTICS INDUSTRY HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON U.S. EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMY

WASHINGTON (February 14, 2002) – A recently released report from The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) shows that the U.S. plastics industry employed more than 1.5 million workers nationwide in 2000. Another 843,300 persons were employed by upstream suppliers of the plastics industry, which brought the employment impact to 2.4 million – about 2 percent of the U.S. workforce.

The nearly 21,000 plastics industry establishments operating in 2000 generated more than $330 billion in shipments, according to the report. Another $89.5 billion was generated by upstream, supplying industries, bringing the total annual shipments to nearly $421 billion.

Based on these statistics, plastics processing remains the nation's fourth largest manufacturing industry.

The information was released in “Size and Impact of the U.S. Plastics Industry,” a report prepared for SPI by Probe Economics, Inc. of Millwood, NY. The report is part of the trade association's Plastics Data Source, which provides in-depth statistics on all facets of the plastics industry.

In addition to analysis of the size and scope of the U.S. plastics industry, the report includes both state and county data on the number of companies, shipment volume, number of employees, payroll, value added and new capital expenditures for each plastics sector (by Standard Industrial Classification code).

This year's edition of the annual study also includes a section on “Key Sectors of the Plastics Industry,” which provides data from a 12-year study of growth in the resin, processing, equipment and mold industries, covering size of each sector, growth, location and outlook.

“This data provides a valuable tool for companies to use to grow their businesses, effectively deploy their sales forces and make the right site-selection decisions,” said Lori Anderson, SPI senior director of economic and international trade affairs. “As this data is virtually impossible to find anywhere else,” she added, “it can provide a powerful competitive advantage for companies seeking to find new customers, expand markets and prosper in a challenging economy.”

Cost of “The Size and Impact of the Plastics Industry” with state data only is $145 for SPI members and $290 for non-members. With county data, available on compact disk, the cost is $290 for SPI members and $580 for non-members. Credit card orders can be placed by calling (800) 541-0736.

For more information on this data and other statistical studies available from SPI, visit www.plasticsdatasource.org.

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's 1,500 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw material suppliers.

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